Energy & Environment: Markey Wants Answers on Rare Earths
• Rep. Edward Markey, D-Mass., "is pressing the Obama administration for information about alleged Chinese restrictions on the export of rare earth minerals used in defense and energy technologies, warning of threats to U.S. interests," The Hill reports.
• "Three months after BP capped its runaway well in the Gulf of Mexico, the state of Louisiana is still building a chain of sand berms off its coast to block and capture oil even as federal officials and many scientists argue that the effort will prove pointless," the New York Times reports.
• An Idaho couple has "sued the state to stop the shipments by Imperial Oil and ConocoPhillips" to an oil sands site in Canada, "arguing that the" truck loads delivered there "would threaten the integrity of Idaho's historic portion of U.S. 12, as well as the safety of communities that depend on it as the main road in and out of the area," the Times also reports. "National environmental groups and climate change activists are supporting their efforts, seeing a broader opportunity to stall development of Canada's oil sands, which they denounce as a dirty source of energy. "
• "Combating climate change has long taken a back seat to coal production in West Virginia, but in the hard-fought House race in this state's 1st district, global warming hasn't even made it onto the bus," The Hill reports. "In interviews on Thursday, both the Democratic and Republican nominees for Congress voiced skepticism of the science behind global warming, and the Republican, David McKinley, flatly called concerns about climate change 'an attack on coal.'"
Contributor
C.H. "Bud" Albright
Biography provided by participant
The Honorable Clarence "Bud" Albright is Senior Vice President for Policy and Government Affairs for CenterPoint Energy. CenterPoint Energy, among other services, provides electricity and natural gas delivery in over 8 states. The company, headquartered in Houston, Texas, has annual revenues in excess of $8.75 billion and a market cap in excess of $5.2 billion. Albright is responsible for all federal operations and for policy matters related to governmental affairs.
Albright is the immediate-past Under Secretary of the U.S. Department of Energy. In that role, as the third most senior official at DOE, he provided leadership for energy and environment programs, including: energy research and development; demonstration and deployment; environmental cleanup; legacy management and radioactive waste management, all with a total budget of nearly $15 billion. Albright was appointed by President Bush and was unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate.
Prior to joining the Department, Albright served as Staff Director for the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Energy and Commerce. In that role he worked to address issues facing the country's telecommunications, energy, environmental, and health industries. Before joining the Committee, Albright was Vice President of Federal Affairs for Reliant Energy in the Washington, DC office.
Albright has also served in the government in a variety of capacities, including Deputy Associate Attorney General and Senior Special Assistant to the Assistant Attorney General of the Civil Division at the U.S. Department of Justice, and Deputy General Counsel of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Additionally, Albright served as Associate Counsel on the U.S. Senate Select Committee investigating the Iran-Contra incident. From 1981 through 1986, he also served as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Eastern District of Virginia.
While attending law school, Albright worked on the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee as a legislative aide and personal aid to Senator Strom Thurmond.
Albright serves on the board of directors of Intelligent Grid Solutions and on the board of advisors of D.C. Biofuels, Inc.
A native of Rock Hill, South Carolina, Albright holds an undergraduate degree in history and political science from Presbyterian College in his home state and a Juris Doctor Degree from George Mason University School of Law in Virginia. Albright, his wife and their two children live in McLean, Virginia.
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